Fugard's 'Have You Seen Us?': Looking Within Again
Have You Seen Us? is set in San Diego a first for playwright Athol Fugard, a South Africa native and one of the English theater's great humane bards. It's having a world premiere production at the Long Wharf Theatre, with Sam Waterston as the embittered, alcoholic academic at the center of the story.
Letters: Bishops, Jobs, Clancy
Listeners respond to the story on Catholic bishops and politics, as well as President Obama's jobs summit and the remembrance of Irish folk musician Liam Clancy. Michele Norris and Robert Siegel read from listeners' e-mails.
Iraqi Political Deal Clears Way For U.S. Pullout
The passage of Iraq's new election law in a down-to-the-wire session of parliament means that U.S. combat troops are a step closer to beginning their phased withdrawal from the country next year after Iraqi elections.
Court Weighs Sarbanes-Oxley
In the wake of the financial scandal that destroyed Enron, Congress created an independent board to watch over the accounting of all publicly traded firms. In order that the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board have total independence from political influence, Congress deemed that its members be appointed by the Securities and Exchange Commission. The court heard arguments Monday that challenge whether Congress went too far and overstepped the Separation of Powers clause of the...
U.S. Terror Suspect Charged In Mumbai Attack
David Coleman Headley was charged Monday with helping to plan the 2008 terror attacks in Mumbai, India. Headley is the Chicago man who was arrested in October in connection with a plot to attack a Danish newspaper that had published cartoons of the Prophet Mohammmed. This new charge makes Headley the first American implicated in the Mumbai attacks, which killed 166 people.
Climate Change Conference Begins
The climate talks opened Monday in Copenhagen, with more than 190 nations represented. The U.S. and China have pledged some actions already, but negotiators so far haven't even agreed about what the overall deal will look like.
EPA: Greenhouse Gases Threaten Health
The Environmental Protection Agency announced Monday that greenhouse gas pollution is a threat to human health. That finding paves the way for the agency to regulate carbon dioxide emissions from factories, power plants and cars under the Clean Air Act if Congress doesn't pass legislation to cut emissions.
Consumer Group Cites Zhu Zhu Safety
One of the hottest toys of this holiday season, Zhu Zhu robotic hamsters, is under scrutiny for a possible safety issue. A consumer group claims that one variety of the toy contains unsafe levels of a toxic chemical. The manufacturer disputes the allegation.
U.S. Lowers Bailout Estimate By $200B
Large banks are repaying the bailout money they received much faster than expected. The administration says the cost of the TARP program will be about $200 billion less than estimated. Big financial firms are making profits again because the government has driven down borrowing costs for banks and safeguarded their debts.
Obama To Deliver Speech On Economy
Sandwiched between his speech on the Afghanistan troop build-up last week and two international speeches later this week, President Obama will deliver an economic policy address Tuesday. Patience with the pace of government action is running short on Capitol Hill, and many Democrats fear the public is starting to question whether Obama feels their pain.
Unpack This: 70 CDs Of Miles Davis
Just in time for the holidays comes a backbreaking load for St. Nick all of trumpeter Miles Davis' Columbia recordings in a single, 70-CD collection. Along with a DVD of a 1967 live performance, there's enough music here to keep a listener busy right into the new year.
15-Year-Old Cheddar Best Enjoyed With Wine, Beer
Tony Hook of Hook's Cheese Co. in Mineral Point, Wis., has some really sharp cheddar for sale: The 15-year-old cheese is being sold at $50 a pound just don't put it on your cheeseburger. Hook says the cheese is flavorful and doesn't have the bitterness that one might expect from old cheddar.
Real ID Act Might Cause Real Hassles For Travelers
With a Dec. 31 deadline looming, many states have yet to comply with the Real ID Act, which sets tighter some say impossible standards for issuing drivers' licenses. If a resolution is not reached, travelers may face long lines at airports if they can't use their licenses as identification.
Targeting Afghanistan's Opium Market
When President Obama unveiled his Afghanistan war strategy last week, he did not dwell on the challenge of getting the country's vast opiate production under control. The U.S. has spent billions on counternarcotics programs in Afghanistan with little success. Scholar Gretchen Peters says interdiction, not eradication, is the new strategy.
Pakistan Amnesty Law Under Legal Scrutiny
Pakistan's Supreme Court began hearing challenges Monday to an amnesty that has protected the country's president and his allies from corruption charges. If the court declares the controversial amnesty to be unconstitutional, hundreds of cases ranging from graft to murder cold reopen.
What's Next From Apple? Bloggers Hunt For Clues
There's a whole set of bloggers who write about Apple products especially what could be coming. One talks regularly to industry sources and combs through the company's patent filings, lawsuits and job postings. Marketing experts say the attention is great for the company.
'Doonesbury' Writer Lampoons Tweeting Journalists
Fictional Fox News correspondent Roland Hedley, created by cartoonist Garry Trudeau, has attracted more than 14,000 followers on Twitter. Now, his buffoonish tweets about the news business have been collected in a new book.
Bidding War For Air Force Tanker Contract Heats Up
The Air Force has been trying to replace its aging fleet of tankers that refuel warplanes in midair for the past decade. But the bidding process has been mired in controversy and politics. Now defense contractor Northrop Grumman is threatening to pull out of the competition for the $35 billion contract.
Iran Protesters Continue To Take To The Streets
Iran's pro-reform movement has been dealt a serious blow since the June 12 presidential elections. Thousands of people have been arrested and detained in a government crackdown to suppress the opposition. Bahman Kalbasi of the BBC's Persian Service offers his analysis of the state of the opposition movement in Iran.
Protesters Take To Streets In Iran
Thousands of students and other protesters took to the streets of Iranian cities Monday, a repeat of nationwide demonstration's following last June's presidential election. The Iranian government reacted with force, sending thousands of riot police and street militia to crack down on the demonstrators. Reports from Iran say there were violent clashes between police and protesters, and the militia appears to have fired live rounds into the crowds.
Why You Love This Decade's Movie Villains
We know the trouble with the good guy: He's always so, well good. It's boring. It's the bad guy we want to figure out. NPR film critic Bob Mondello says he knows the dark secrets of good movie villains and why we love them.
Series Creator, Star Weigh In On 'Better Off Ted'
The second season of ABC's comedy series Better Off Ted begins Tuesday. The Ted in question runs the RD department of the conglomerate Veridian Dynamics, a clever parody of a General Electric-type company that produces everything from office chairs to weaponized pumpkins. Series creator Victor Fresco and co-star Portia de Rossi speak to host Guy Raz.
Marmite Spread Captures Hearts, Curdles Stomachs
If you've heard of Marmite, you probably also have a pretty strong opinion on whether you like it or not. The British spread is thick, sticky and dark almost black, like tar. And, some say, it's disgusting.
Celebrating 350 Years Of Notable Scientific Papers
To celebrate its 350th birthday, the Royal Society of London selected 60 of the most notable scientific papers it's published over the past four centuries. And it's posting them online with images of the original manuscripts. These are many of the biggest names in scientific history Isaac Newton to Ben Franklin to Stephen Hawking. Host Guy Raz reviews a few of them with Michael Thompson, the man in charge of choosing from the society's 60,000-paper collection.
Invention Taps Shocks To Boost Fuel Economy
Three MIT students pondering how to make cars more efficient dreamed up the GenShock device after a ride down a bumpy road. Instead of dispersing the force of the bumps, their idea is to capture the energy and use it.
Exploring Fallout Of Climate E-Mails
Host Guy Raz explores some of the fallout from the climate-gate e-mail hack with Dr. Judith Curry, chairwoman of the School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences at Georgia Tech. And she says the e-mails reveal a lack of transparency and a lot of locker room talk in the climate research community.
Leaders Descend On Copenhagen For Climate Talks
The world's leaders are descending on Copenhagen for the long-awaited United Nations climate conference. NPR's Richard Harris fills in host Guy Raz on the gap between rich and poor nations, and why the last major climate treaty, worked out in Kyoto, Japan, didn't live up to its promise.
The Sound Of Bottles And Bicycles
Patrick Watson and his band The Wooden Arms defy easy categorization. The group from Montreal takes inspiration from contemporary indie rock, cartoon music from the 1940s and impressionist composers. Depending on the song, you'll hear pots and pans or bottles and barrels.
Years After Death, Obama's Mom Gets Her Wish
A few years before her death, Barack Obama's mother completed her doctoral dissertation. Nearly two decades later, S. Ann Dunham's fieldwork has been published a fulfillment of her dream, courtesy of her daughter.
The Navy's Other Seals ... And Dolphins
A Russian scientist this week said Russia has fallen behind the U.S. in an arms race: the race to arm sea mammals, that is. It turns out, the U.S. military does employ teams of dolphins and sea lions to patrol for weapons and intruders.